Team Blitz India
Britain’s tightening of visa and immigration rules is finally showing an effect with the number of foreign workers and students arriving in the island country falling in the first three months of the year.
Strong action taken by the Home Secretary to transform the UK’s immigration system and cut unsustainable and unfair levels of migration is delivering,” the Home Office said recently, quoting data.
The number of dependents accompanying students to the UK has drastically fallen by almost 80 per cent, with more than 26,000 fewer student visa applications made from January to March 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, it added.
Government measures to tighten student visas, which came into force in January, have prevented most international students starting courses this year from bringing family members.
Students can also no longer switch their visa before completing their course, preventing people from using the route as a backdoor to work in the UK, while clamping down on institutions which undermine the UK’s reputation by selling immigration, not education.
“The government recognises the importance of attracting the brightest and best, whilst delivering on our commitment to reduce legal migration to sustainable levels, with the data published.” The statement said. The data also revealed that in the first quarter of 2024, dependent applications on the Health and Care visa continued to significantly outnumber main applicants.
The government claim has been that dependent visa numbers have been both disproportionate and unsustainable, leading to the action to restrict care workers from bringing dependents. This measure came into effect on March 11.
However, doctors, nurses, and other allied health professionals will still be able to bring dependents. Meanwhile, care providers acting as sponsors for migrants in England are now required to register with the industry regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
